What is Conversion?(1)

As the State of Israel and its rabbinical courts head towards a large-scale showdown concerning conversion, it is remarkable that not one of the participants, including the orthodox, has considered this major, crucial question: Is conversion at all possible? This may sound like a rhetorical question since the answer is in the affirmative. Yet, this question goes to the very core of the problem, and as long as we do not deal with it, all deliberations concerning this matter are more or less meaningless. The reason for this is obvious: Logically speaking,conversion to Judaism should not be possible. Just as it is impossible for a Jew whose father is not a Cohen to become a Cohen, similarly, it should be out of the question for a gentile to become a Jew. Either one is born into a family of Cohanim, or one is not. Presumably, then, either one is born a Jew, or one is not. God chose the patriarchs and their descendants as His people, and it is only they who can claim to be Jews. It would follow, then, that either one is part of this nation, or one is not.

Yet, conversion to Judaism is possible! How? It is the philosopher, Michael Wyshogrod who, in his book The Body of Faith (2), gives an authoritative answer to this question: By means of a miracle. A gentile who converts to Judaism miraculously becomes part of the people of Israel. Unlike with Christianity, this does not just mean that the gentile now shares the beliefs of Judaism, but that he or she literally becomes the seed of the patriarchs and matriarchs. For this to happen, a quasi-biological miracle is required. The gentile needs to be reborn as a direct descendant of Avraham and Sara. This is accomplished by immersion in a mikvah (ritual bath), clearly symbolizing the mother’s womb through which one is born. The proof for this far- reaching conclusion is the fact that, according to the Torah, a convert is allowed to marry his or her own mother, father, brother or sister. This may sound sinister, and even immoral, but for the profound, reflective thinker it is most telling and meaningful. The Torah views a convert as a completely new human being, recently born with no biological attachments except for Avraham and Sara. This speaks volumes. It is true that the Rabbis forbade a convert to marry his or her mother or father, etc., fearing reactions suggesting that the gentile exchanged a strict religion for one with a more relaxed sanctity (Yebamoth 22a). Nevertheless, though such marriages are rabbinically forbidden, it does not change the fact that they are biblically permitted.

This is radically different from baptism in Christianity. After baptism, the prohibition of incest is not waived. The biological relationship between parents and the baptized person continues as before. Not so in Judaism. What is required is the total rebirth of a person, as if new. While Jewish Law requires full respect for one’s biological, non-Jewish parents, it simultaneously makes it clear that conversion is an extreme step with radical consequences. That Judaism is prepared to make this step, against all logic, so as to allow a non-Jew to become, literally, a child of Abraham and Sara, shows it to be one of the most daring and open-minded religions. No non-Jew should be denied the possibility to join our nation, when there is a sincere desire to do so, even when this very idea makes no sense.

It is, for this reason, completely impossible to argue that mere immersion in a mikvah is sufficient. It is crucial that the potential convert desire to become a different person and undergo a deeply spiritual transformation. Human beings are not just a mass of plasma, complicated robots, or tool- making animals who can change their fundamental selves simply by immersing in a well of water. They are souls, with deep emotions, who experience spiritual and moral struggles in which religious beliefs play a critical role. Therefore, conversion should be a well thought-out decision, with an awareness of its implications, and rooted in the deepest recesses of the human soul. While this clearly includes the desire to become a part of the Jewish people, it is not enough. There is much more at stake.

The convert must become a follower of Avraham’s and Sara’s great legacy. This includes the acceptance of the oneness of God, the need to be righteous and the desire to inspire the world with the great moral foundations which were later solidified at Sinai. He or she must somehow embrace great institutions such as shabbath, kashruth and sexual dignity. Striving for kedusha/holiness and tahara/spiritual purity is of primary importance.

Whether or not the convert must a priori take on all the commandments, or only some, is a matter of great debate among the authorities. There are some who maintain that only a full “kabalath hamitzvoth” (acceptance of the commandments) is sufficient. Anything less will not do. Others maintain that a sincere desire to be a part of the Jewish people is sufficient, though not ideal.

Why this difference of opinion about such a crucial and far-reaching issue?

Judaism and the Jewish people are intertwined, and interact in ways which nobody can fully grasp. Are we a religion, or a nation? If we are a religion, how can it be that somebody who does not believe in God or refuses to observe even one commandment still remains Jewish as long as he or she is born to a Jewish mother? And if we are a nation, how does religion come in, telling us who belongs to the nation and who does not? Any attempt to find a solution to this problem will always fail, as it has in the past. There is no way to nail down these definitions. They elude us, and we must admit that we are confronted with one of the greatest mysteries of Jewishness. We become aware of the existence of something we cannot penetrate. There seem to be perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radical beauty which are only accessible to our minds in their most primitive forms.

It is for this reason that our authorities have different views on the question of conversion. Is one converting mainly into a religion, or mostly joining a nation? They realize that there is no completely satisfactory answer. They move back and forth when studying the Talmud, and have therefore been wise enough to somehow leave the question open.

Still, we must remember that without a strong, religious component, conversion is a farce, just as it would be completely ridiculous to claim, conversely, that even though somebody is totally committed to all the mitzvoth of the Torah and lives in its spirit, he or she would not be considered part of the Jewish people. He or she is, but we do not really know why or how. We need both components, religion and nationhood, but we cannot figure out how they relate to each other.

While caught in this strange mystery, however, we should neither make the mistake of thinking that only living by the laws of the Torah and Halacha and being part of the Jewish people is what is ideally required. Much more emphasis must be given to the great experience of being Jewish. There is something called a Jewish neshama. Again, were we to try and define that, we may find ourselves accused of racial discrimination. Still, we all know the neshama is there. There is some built-in Jewish substance within us. Judaism is not only about nationhood and observance, but about living in a spiritual, emotional order which cannot be narrowed down to doctrines, dogmas or commandments. It is important and necessary to emphasize this to someone who wants to convert. Halacha and beliefs are not enough. Somehow, he or she must inherit the great spirit from Avraham and Sara, which is more than the sum of all of the above parts, but also different from all the above. What it really is we do not know. But it is! And how it transpires? Neither do we know that! But it happens. Again, it is a miracle wrought by God.

We can only ask that the convert accept all of this and initiate the climb up the ladder of observance, slowly but surely, combining nationhood with spiritual nobility.

Sounds paradoxical? Well, it is! Let it be, let it be. It has served us well through thousands of years and has made us into an eternal and indestructible nation. Let us not take it lightly.

(1) The first part of this essay is similar to Thoughts to Ponder 209. In the second part, however, I have taken a completely new approach to the conversion debate. For other approaches I have suggested, see my TTPs 215 and 216. www.cardozoschool.org

(2) See this excellent work, The Body of Faith. God in the People of Israel by Michael Wyschogrod, p.XV1-XX. Jason Aronson Inc, Northvale, 1996.

P.S. One of the readers of Thoughts to Ponder for Shavuoth {Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai and the “Portable Fatherland”) asked me whether in that essay I was advocating that Israel not have an army. Since more readers may have thought the same, I would like to clarify that I had no such intention. Israel must have a very strong army. (I am proud to say that I, too, served for a short period.) I do, however, believe that even with the best army in the world, if we, Israeli society, no longer know who we are and for what we stand, we will not succeed in overcoming our enemies. No nation can live on a borrowed identity. This, I believe, is the greatest threat to Israel’s survival today.

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About Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo is the Founder and Dean of the David Cardozo Academy and the Bet Midrash of Avraham Avinu in Jerusalem. A sought-after lecturer on the international stage for both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences, Rabbi Cardozo is the author of 13 books and numerous articles in both English and Hebrew. He heads a Think Tank focused on finding new Halachic and philosophical approaches to dealing with the crisis of religion and identity amongst Jews and the Jewish State of Israel. Hailing from the Netherlands, Rabbi Cardozo is known for his original and often fearlessly controversial insights into Judaism. His ideas are widely debated on an international level on social media, blogs, books and other forums.

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